Playing With Fire, an AsoUE Fanfiction, by George

Chapter Three

Clear Mind

Authors Notes: R, R and E. This Chapter catches up with the Baudelaires. So at the moment, the detectives haven't been contacted properly.

"Bloody great!" Violet moaned, and sat down on a rock.

"What, Violet?" Klaus said, and sat down beside her.

"I've just realized where we are," Violet cried.

"Where?" Sunny piped in, walking towards them.

"We're back at Briny Beach!" Violet cried," This is nowhere near Hotel Denouement!"

"It's not that bad," Klaus replied, putting a comforting arm around his sister," I mean, we're near our house again."

"Yes, but we weren't looking for our house, were we? We were looking for the hotel…and we're on the other side of the country from it…and I thought we were getting close."

"There, there," Sunny said, and clambered onto Violet's lap.

"Hey," Klaus said," Let's to into town…maybe we can see some old friends." Violet wiped a tear from her eye.

"I guess so," she said," But we can't stay here long…I bet Olaf's almost there by now."

"Well we've done the best we can," Klaus said, and stood up," Now come on, as you said, we can't stay here long."

Violet and Sunny both got up, and they began walking, Klaus and Violet both holding on of Sunny's hands. They left the beach, walking up a stone curved path that took them to the roads above the beach. They looked around, and recognized so many things. The newsagents, the plants down the street, even the houses. They remembered all their neighbours, and which houses they could find them in.

But this day, their neighbours weren't the people they particularly wanted to see most. They'd rather see really close friends from school. In fact, their friends were probably at the school then. Violet decided that they should go and visit their friends at the schoolhouse, and shared her idea with her siblings, who agreed. But as they turned to go down a different street to the school, Violet felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see an anonymous woman staring at her. She was a little frightened, but knew to be polite.

"Hi, how can I help you?" she began.

"Hello Violet," the woman said, then suddenly lurched out at her. She grabbed Violet's hair, and flung her over slightly, so they were both on the floor. Violet screamed.

"Get off me!" she cried," Klaus! Sunny!" Klaus rushed over, and kicked the woman, whose hands sprawled up. Violet crawled free, and got up, staring at the small drips of blood on her leg, where the woman had clawed her, to stop her getting away.

"You won't escape this time, Baudelaire murderers," she cried," I need the money…do you know how much I'll get for turning you in? Huh?"

"No!" Klaus screamed, then turned and began running, tugging Violet's sleeve, so she did too.

They panted down the street, round to the corner.

"Oh fucking God," Klaus breathed," Who was she?"

"I don't know," Violet replied, and hugged her brother," We're safe now."

"Yeah," Klaus agreed. His eyes widened.

"Sunny!" The two siblings rushed out of the corner they were hiding in, and saw the woman standing there, with Sunny, who was crying her eyes out, in her hands.

"Put her down!" Violet cried," She's a baby!"

"I'm not a baby!" Sunny cried.

"Shut it, brat," the woman said," I have the real murderer…you two were just helpers. Now I get most of the money anyway."

"Leave her alone!" Klaus cried, and ran forward. Violet held out a hand, and warned him not to. Klaus ran forward, to shove the woman back, and take Sunny back from her, but she kicked his legs before he arrived, and sprawled back into a plant pot.

"Klaus!" Violet cried, and she ran over to him, and knelt down by him. The woman ran down the street, Sunny still in her arms.

"Klaus, are you alright?" she asked," We can't let that woman take Sunny away."

Klaus weakly opened his eyes.

"Ah," he said," She got me in the nuts." Violet cringed.

"Well, could you get up? The woman is nearing the station!" Violet said, trying not to sound angry. She wasn't angry, irritated. Klaus sat up.

"You go ahead," he said," I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay!" Violet cried, and got up, then began running towards the woman, who was just leaving that street. Violet always did cross-country, but she seemed to get tired so easily.

Keep running, save your sister, she kept thinking, and soon, she was near the woman, who looked back, and noticed that Violet was nearing her. The woman suddenly turned, round towards a block of houses, and Violet rapidly turned with her. The woman barged into a door, presumably her house. The door swung open, and the woman ventured deep inside.

She's not at the police station, Violet thought, at least you postponed the visit. Violet ran into the house, and looked around. Where was she? She slowly walked in further, into a cosy hallway.

"Sunny?" she called, hoping for a week reply. Nothing. Suddenly, she heard something behind her, and turned to see a knife spinning towards her. She collapsed to the floor, and the knife bashed into the wall, and fell the to the floor. Violet was breathing heavily.

"What the fuck…" She got up, and turned to see the woman, by a drawer of cutlery.

"Give Sunny back, you crazy woman!" Violet screamed.

"No!" the woman screamed," You three will go to jail, for the murders and arsonists you've committed. After I heard about your recent murder, I decided I'd go out to find you…didn't think you'd come to me."

"Recent?" Violet asked," We haven't done any murders…and the only one we're accused of was ages ago."

"Don't play dumb," the woman snarled," You're the main suspects of the murder of Count Olaf-who was killed yesterday."

"What?" Violet cried," We didn't kill anyone!"

"Well you'll need a pretty good lawyer," the woman said," Because no one will believe you!"

******

Flo sat on the couch. Before she had her word, everyone was out looking for the Baudelaires, who everyone had believe killed "Omar" all that time ago, and now Olaf. Of course they'd believe that. But Flo knew that that was not the truth. All of Olaf's troupe knew that the Baudelaire's weren't really murderers-they were goody two shoes. But there was no points in saying so.

Or was there?

Flo wanted the real murderer to get the punishment. It was time to tell everyone…the Baudelaire's were innocent, so the hunt for the real killer could begin. The phone rang, and Flo picked it up.

"Hi."

"Hi, Flo!" it was Tocuna, who sounded excited," This woman, Elenora Poe, has caught the Baudelaires! There are people waiting outside the house…news reporters, everyone! You gotta come down and see this."

"Okay." Flo put the phone down. Speak of the Devil. That was a great time to reveal that someone else killed her beloved Olaf.

*****

"Give me Sunny now, bitch!" Violet cried, and lunged forward. The woman smiled evilly, then stuck out her leg to kick Violet as she had done with Klaus. Violet jumped over, and whacked the woman in the face. The woman went back slightly, but still held Sunny tight. She grabbed a picture from the wall, and span it like a Frisbee.

Violet ducked and jumped, as Elenora through more and more pictures, until all the ones on the wall were gone. Violet ran into the kitchen, and opened up the utility cupboard. As the woman followed, Sunny now screaming wildly again, Violet grabbed a broom, and washed it through the air. Elenora jumped, and then jumped round to the cupboard, and grabbed a mop. They began whacking it towards another, and blocking each blow.

It was soon like a sword fight. Violet would attack; Elenora would block, and then attack herself, only for Violet to block. Violet span, and ducked and dodged all she could, but soon she found a powerful whack in her stomach, and lunged out under the kitchen table. She felt horrible pain, she could not describe it but she had to pull herself up, she had to save Sunny. She got up from the floor, and noticed that her broom had been snapped, and was across the other side of the room.

"Dammit," she cursed, and looked around for something to attack with. Elenora began bashing and waving it around; Violet ducking, and jumping to save herself. She jumped up onto the counter, as Elenora got the hang of how to get her. She reached around, looking for anything to save her. She opened a cupboard, as Elenora whacked her in the back. Violet sprung into it, and all the mugs and cups that were in fell out, and smashed on the floor. Violet felt weak, but clung on tight to the cupboard handle. Elenora cursed, and then lunged the mop forward again. Violet ducked, and the mop whacked into another cupboard. Trays and pots flung out, and Violet screamed as she battled to hold on. A tray skimmed down her arm, and it bled all over. Violet screamed again at the pain. But one heavy pot, a glass one, shoved Elenora in the head, and she stumbled back, before letting go of Sunny and tumbling back onto the table, unconscious. The last of the pots fell. Violet sighed in fear, then lowered herself onto the floor, and picked up Sunny.

She was trembling with fear, and walked over to Elenora. Was she dead? No, she was breathing. She just had a little knock on the head. Violet looked at the state of the room. Whoever the cleaner was, they were gonna have a long day.

As she walked outside, she realized a huge crowd was outside.

"Ah! The murderers! Grab them!" people cried, and then a man lunged at her feet. Violet tripped and everyone screamed and shouted.

"We caught them!"

"Hey, where's the boy? Here's the girl and the baby!"

"Shut it everyone!"

Everyone gasped, and turned to see Flo standing there.

"Who do you think you are!" one man cried.

"I am here to tell you all something," Flo shouted," The Baudelaire's did not murder Olaf. Nor did they murder Omar. And they have never started a fire."

Violet raised an eyebrow. What was she doing?

"How do you know!" one woman shouted.

"Because Olaf framed them," Flo shouted," Now, we need to find the real murderer…we need to call detectives. But you must let those children go, they have not murdered anyone."

"Aren't you Olaf's girlfriend? Why would you tell us all this!"

"Betrayer!"

"No," Flo said," I am not betraying him. I want the real murderer rightfully punished. And I am sure these children are not the real murderers. Yes, I hate them, but I want the real murderer to burn in hell…the real murderer will not get away with it!"

End Of Chapter